It has been beautiful here. What a luxury! This river shot was taken on a stroll after work. My prayers have been answered for an Indian summer and I am grateful.

The days are noticeably shorter, yet sunny and warm with cool nights foreshadowing the inevitable. Last night’s rain was cleansing to the spirit, and soothing to fall asleep by.

The lilac trees, and I raked some leaves. Still a bit more yard cleanup to do, but I still have flowers blooming including wildflowers, sweet peas and sunflowers. I cut down some stuff, and I intend to bring the dahlia bulbs in.

They cannot stay out over the winter, and those were beautiful plants which grew to around five feet with yellow and pink flowers at least the size of side plates. They continued to bloom after the first frost and still are blooming, though the leaves are tinged.

The inner garden has required a lot of tending these days. Clearing, and many preparations to take me to the work I have intended. Planning winter projects contributes to good mental health is the darkest days of the year. That is a trick I learned early on, during my twelve years in the Arctic.

I am trying to clear emotional blockages, some have been resistant to my efforts thus far. I am deep breathing, stretching, taking homoeopathic medicine and trying to be patient. I have stepped up the self care which is a full time job, which no one else wants, by the way! I can see the universe is lining things up and I am working to align myself. Autumn is a perfect time for new beginnings.

I found this lovely blue peaceful pool at the Reader Rock Garden. Though it was near the end of season, still some things were in bloom. It is adjacent to a cemetery.

This garden was built by William Reader during the twenties. He was superintendent of parks in the early 1900’s. It has been restored within the last few years, and a replica of his house on the property is now a restaurant, which is on my list to go to next year for their offering of high tea.

This is one of the yellow dahlias, the first one to bloom. It is over five feet tall! I am amazed at how large these are, and I must admit, I am now addicted to dahlias.

Somehow they seem like a cross between peonies and chrysanthemums. The groupings of three shown in the leaf pattern is like the peony, as is the centre of the flower. The tips are like the chrysanthemum.

In the fall, they must be dug up, and the bulbs saved in a cool dry place until spring. It may be worth the extra effort since the blooms are so lovely, that is if the ground is still unfrozen.

Earlier in the week when I snapped this photo we had one frost warning, which did not materialize. But tonight they are resting comfortably under sheets and burlap, as it is to go below freezing. My sweet peas have not bloomed yet either, and so I covered them. My neighbour has sheets over his tomatoes.

For tonight, the sunflowers have little plastic bags protecting them too, the tallest being seven feet. We have not had much bright sunshine, so blooms are slow.

Talk about eternal optimism, an absolute must for gardening at this altitude. The growing season here is short. Sometimes I think by exerting concentrated effort, I might encourage an extra couple of weeks which would be divine. I never tire of flowers.

More clearing is taking place here, getting things in order for winter. I have not delved into my painting yet though preparation has begun. It feels good to clear things bit by bit, leaving breathing space for new things to come in.

Every time I clear another niche, I can feel the chi energy flowing and it feels great. Letting go of all that is unnecessary, and is not a match for my life anymore has to go. The doing is much easier than the anticipation.